Four Questions
by Girlsrule2424
Summary: Severus has kept a secret from everyone for eleven years. He has a little sister that he took to France when she was born. He thought that it would just be a drop off and run, but he didn't realize just who he left her with. Abuse implied. Pic has Annabel and her OC and Severus and his OC, introduced in chapter 3.
1. Chapter 1

**Thank you to my amazing beta ****disturbinglyprofound who also helped me to come up with this title.**

**I own nothing but my OC's**

Prologue

It was a cold November night in a hospital that had seen better days. The windows were closed, but the brisk winter breeze was still managing to get inside. There was no heating, just as there were no locks on the windows. This was why a five year old boy was able to enter the nursery. He looked through all the cribs until he found one with a small girl, only a few weeks old, that had been born premature. She had pale skin, a small, elegant nose, and blue eyes so dark that they seemed almost black. She was a beautiful little girl, one who would be alone when she faced the world. The boy shook his head. _Not if he could help it._

He took the small girl, wrapped her in a ratty old blanket and carried her out of the hospital. He ran into an alleyway and turned, whispering over and over again under his breath, "Somewhere she can be safe. Somewhere she can be loved."

With that he turned and disappeared on the spot.

A couple of around thirty years old was taking a walk through the garden of a French manor when they saw a young boy appear just outside of their gates.

"Qu'est-ce que tu pence il fait ici?" the woman asked the man. [What do you think he's doing here?]

"Je ne sais pas, ma chérie. Vous voulez le voir?" [I don't know, my dear. Would you like to approach him?]

"Oui," said the woman, looking deeply concerned.

They started to walk to the gates, and when they were within five metres of it, the gates opened up to reveal that the little boy was holding a bundle, in which a baby girl was nestled. The woman gasped and began moving faster. The man followed close behind, murmuring under his breath.

"Bonjour, mon garçon, comment ça va?" said the woman, her hand on the boy's shoulder. She knew now was not a good time for pleasantries, not when a dirty, unkempt little boy was carrying a baby in his hands and there were no adults about.

"Hello ma'am. I'm sorry, but I don't speak any French," the boy replied politely. She nodded.

"That's fine, son," said the man. "Would you mind telling us why are you here by yourself, so late at night?"

"Do you like children?" the boy said instead.

"Well, yes, but..." the woman was confused.

"Would you ever hurt a child?" he demanded.

"No" the woman said, affronted at the very thought.

Neither of the adults noticed the pale blue light growing around them as they spoke.

"Would you love an adopted child as your very own?"

"Yes. But –"

"Do you want a daughter?" the boy asked finally.

"Yes," said the woman wholeheartedly. Her husband looked bewildered for a moment, about to ask the question he had been trying to ask for the entire conversation.

The boy then moved the bundle closer to his face and whispered.

"Goodbye, Annabel, I love you." The child kissed the baby on the head before placing her carefully in the women's arms. He ran back a ways before either of them could do or say anything, and then the boy disappeared into the night.

"Garde, viens ici" the man called. [Guard, come here.]

"Oui, majesté." [Yes, your Majesty.]

"Go find the Potions mistress and have her brew us the Blood Adoption Potion for our new daughter. Also, get someone to prepare a nursery for her. Then, when you're finished, find out all you can about this boy," he commanded, pulling out his memory of the boy who had just visited and putting it into a vial.

As the servants ran about, obeying their master's orders, the couple walked back to their palace to show off their little princess.

The boy reappeared under the cover of trees by an old, rundown house. A person standing at the end of the street would be able to hear the man inside this house, cursing and throwing things about violently. With one last deep breath, the boy crawled through the hole in a basement window and hid behind some boxes until his drunken father passed out, and when it would be safe for the boy to return to his shabby, filthy little room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Four Questions**

**A/N: I own nothing. nada. zip. zilch. If I did, I would have a MacBook Pro by now wouldn't I? Well, the OCs are mine.**

*READ* All you need in this story to be able to Apparate is the knowledge of how to do it, and the power needed. This is why Severus and other characters later on will be able to do it at a younger age. Sorry for forgetting that in the first part. Thank you for pointing that out Ruby-Elwood.

**Thank you****Xterker23**** and disturbinglyprofound for your reviews**

I'd also like to thank my amazing beta for editing this chapter. :D

**Eleven years later – Severus is 16 and Annabel is 11**

Severus was sitting at the Slytherin table, having his breakfast, when a regal looking black hawk swooped down in front of his plate with elegance. One would certainly not expect that sort of grace from a bird of that size.

He took the letter from the bird's talons and removed the pale blue ribbon that held it together.

_Bonjour Severus,_

Can you believe that I just started at Beauxbatons last week? It's so lovely, the palace is just so beautiful, with pale marble floors and almost all the windows are stained glass. All of the uniforms are silk and the food is just amazing! I never knew that a salad could be so good until last night. It's very different from what you've described Hogwarts as. This place was just made for beauty not protection, but the wards on this place are super strong, Mum and Dad don't even know where it is exactly. We all just stay in dormitories by year and they only have two people to a room. We can start taking electives next month, isn't that fantastic! I want to take the music class, though, but Dad wants me to take the world politics class. I have to go, I have charms now, I can't wait to see you again over winter break.

Love your little sis,  
Annalise (Annabel)  
  
After reading this Severus quickly folded up the letter and stuffed it in his pocket. At least his sister was having a good time at school, he thought with a small smile, when he dropped off his sister with that couple years ago he never thought that he would see her again. He could still remember when he was taken to see her again three years after dropping her off.

**Eight years before**

Severus was just walking home from school in his mother's old clothes, since his father spent all their money on alcohol and left barely enough for food. So, he was left with garments of his mother's that were extremely baggy. His father, on the other hand, would never even give him so much as a sock. The only thing Severus ever received from his father was abuse. Because of this, he didn't have any friends at school because that all thought that he was weird and had greasy hair. His mother had told him that it wasn't his fault they had no money for plumbing, soap, and shampoo. He had come back from his first day of school, crying because the other children had made fun of him. Now, he just ignored all of the other children. It wasn't too hard since no one wanted to be near him anyway.

As he was turning around the one park corner, two pairs of hands reached out and grabbed him. One hand went up to his mouth to block the scream, while another thrust something into his hand.

Before he knew it, Severus felt a tug behind his navel and the world started to spin. When it stopped he hit the ground and was steadied by the hands that had grabbed him.

"What are you doing? Let go of me! I don't have any money. I didn't do it I swear." Severus said trying not to show his panic.

He couldn't think of why they had taken him. He didn't have any money, he hadn't gotten into any trouble recently and since these men seemed to be wizards so he knew that his father wouldn't have anything to do with them.

"Relax, son it's okay. We don't want to hurt you. Come sit down, Can I get you anything?" a man said he was walking towards Severus, dressed in fine robes.

Severus was shocked he recognized the man before him as who he gave his little sister to three years before. His eyes widened and now, he was happier than ever that he had made the couple swear a vow to take his sister in, and to always keep her.

The man, seeing the boy's eyes widen, said, "I see you recognize me. Don't worry we love our daughter and we don't want you to take her back. I've had my men looking for you since you came here. We only want to help you; I've had people trailing you for the past year after we found out who you were. We would have helped you had you asked."

"Oh. Thank you," said Severus quietly; he wasn't too used to talking to others.

They sat in an awkward silence for a bit, before Severus got up the nerve to ask a question.

"Excuse me, sir?" he said hesitantly. "But I was wondering where we are? Because I don't think I'm in Britain anymore."

"So you really have no clue where you are, or who I am?" the man said curiously. Severus shook his head.

"Well, we are in France right now, about twenty minutes from Versailles on broom," the man began. "I am Nicolas Gustave Julien Delmar, and my wife who you met three years before, is Clarisse Marie Sophie Delmar. But you can call us Nick and Claire." He smiled slightly. "This is our palace. Unlike Britain, we don't have a Minister or a democracy. France, along with many other magical nations, is still run by a monarchy. My wife and I rule France's magical people as their King and Queen. That's why I thought that you might know who we are."

Severus just looked at Nick in shock. "Damn – of all the places I could have dropped her off, it had to be with someone who could kill me and then get away with it! Merlin, if he runs this country..." His mind began to wander through all sorts of unpleasant situations and within five possibilities, he was already certain that he would never be able to return home. But that thought didn't bother him too much, since he never really had anything to go back to.

Nick, seeing the range of emotions passing through Severus's eyes, decided to move the conversation along.

"So, Severus –"

But that was as far as he got, because the doors opened and Claire, wearing an emerald green robe with black trim, walked in, holding hands with a three year old girl. She was dressed in a pale blue dress with purple accents.

"Oh, Severus, you finally arrived!" She said, looking relieved. "I'm so glad, it took far too long to find you, my child. We must get some food in you and also some warmer clothes – come with me."

Severus was about to go with Claire when she began to speak to the little girl. "Annalise, remember what I was telling you about yesterday? Well, this is Severus, now just stay with your father until we come back alright?" Claire said all in one breath, before she took Severus's hand and pulled him out of the room.

They walked down a few corridors before reaching a large bedroom.

"Come on, dear, let's get you cleaned up. The bathroom is right through that door and the tub is filled, the shampoos and soaps are on the shelf to your left – use whatever you'd like. I'll go and find some clothing for you."

Before Severus could protest, she was gone. Severus shrugged afterwards and went to take a bath. It had been so long since he had been clean – Britain was having a cold flash, so all of the water felt like ice. He couldn't remember the last time he had used both shampoo and soap, so he did what he wanted for once and took a nice, long, warm bath.

He got out an hour later, feeling clean and relaxed. When he peeked out of the bathroom, his old clothes were gone and new clean clothes were in their place. It was a pair of soft black pants with a crisp dark green shirt, and they actually fit him. He was so happy, but he still couldn't figure out why he was there.

One thing Severus hated was not knowing what was going on. If he didn't know what was happening, he couldn't be ready to expect the next actions and have a plan.

"Oh, Severus you look wonderful," said Claire, when he stepped outside of the room. "Come, let's join Nick and Annalise for dinner." She led him to the dining room.

Severus hadn't realized that it was so late, but they passed a clock that said it was 6:34 pm already.

They reached a formal dining room, where Nick and Annalise were seated. When they walked into the room, Annalise jumped up and ran over to Severus, hugging his legs.

"Sev! How are you?" she said cheerfully. "Did you have fun with mommy? Why haven't you come to visit me? I missed you. Mummy and Daddy told me stories about you! They told me that you were coming last week so I have all my toys that I want to show you and books I can now count to twenty can you believe it! And I know English and French! I've missed you so much, please don't leave me for so long again! How did you get here? Why did you leave me alone for so long? Didn't you want to be my brother? Don't you love me?" she said and pouted.

Severus got her to release some of the grip on his legs and knelt down in front of her to hug her again, this time more conventionally.

"Of course I love you, sister," he said, surprised at his sudden fondness. "It isn't safe for you where I am, that's all. But you are so grown up since the last time I saw you, you weren't even released from the hospital yet."

"Yes, they told us that when we took her to a doctor," Nick said, suspicious.

"Well, I might have just taken her from the nursery that night." Severus said looking a bit guilty, but not sorry.

"That's fine, we understand dear. Now, let's eat," said Claire.

After an amazing meal, the four went into one of the many sitting rooms to talk.

Severus sat on a couch with Annalise's head on his lap, as she was half asleep. Nick and Claire sat on the love seat across from them, and both took on a serious look.

"Now, Severus we need to talk about your home life, alright? We know everything, son, and we just want to help," said Nick, looking fatherly.

"It doesn't matter, there's nothing you can do," said Severus. "I'm fine, really. In three years, I go off to school and I'll be away for most of the year. My mum's started to work a bit, so she can pay for my supplies. Since she comes from the Prince line, I'm not eligible for any funding," he explained, "even though the family won't have anything to with us. But it's okay, we have always been just fine." Severus told them, finally being able to rant about all the frustration he had been feeling for years.

Claire walked over to his couch and sat beside him.

"It's alright sweetie, let it out. It's not your fault, and we wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to go home again. You are such a brave boy for getting your sister out of there. We want to stay close to you – any brother of my daughter is our son too. If you ever need a place to stay, or somewhere to go, or to even just say hi, we will be there for you, alright?" She reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a ring, placing it in Severus's hand. "This will always return you to us, son. We want to help you – we will pay for all your schooling, and that is not negotiable, young man. We are doing it because that's what family does for each other. If you ever want to, we would be honored if you would see us as another set of parents." She smiled, tears in her eyes. Severus was touched.

**Present**

That was some of the best news he had ever received even now. Severus really thought of the couple as his second parents. That night, they had shown him a room to sleep in, and over the years it had become his room more than the one at his biological parents' house. Nick and Claire had helped him through some hard times, were there for him when his mother died the year before, and were there when Tobias kicked him out. Now, he lived with them permanently, instead of taking the odd weekend and school breaks to visit.

"Who's that letter from, Severus?" asked one of the boys down the table, taking Severus's mind off the past.

"It's none of your business, Avery," Severus replied harshly, getting up from the table. Class started in thirty minutes. Severus had to get to the other side of the school and up four stories to Ancient Runes with the Ravenclaws. This was going to be a long day. Severus just knew it.

**A/N: So what did you think? 5 pages and over 2000 words in three days – wow! You see that little button at the bottom with that speech bubble, why don't you click it? YOLO (I hate that saying but whatever). I feel like this chapter is my early birthday present to myself****It's so awesome having a birthday near the end of May, because you have the May 24 weekend to party woot! Those fireworks are totally for me! lol**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to my amazing beta ****disturbinglyprofound**

**Sorry that I've not updated in a while but it was the last month of school which meant 4 units, 4 end of term projects and exams. Way too much work so I had to cut myself off writing. Enjoy!**

**I own nothing but the oc's thank you very much.**

Severus was definitely right about it being a long day. During Ancient Runes, they covered some of the symbols that were from older days, back when every country was ruled by a monarchy. Severus almost laughed at the lesson – he had learnt the symbols four summers ago, but none of the other students could grasp the concept.

It could've been because the British government was trying to cover so much of it up. They censored most of the information on the topic. So, depending on the time the reference books were written, the information was different. Of course, that just wouldn't do for the Ravenclaws, who got so frustrated by the end of class that the room looked like it had been hit by a tornado. Papers were all over the room, desks had been turned over; it was pure chaos.

Severus wasn't bothered, however, because he'd used some of the runes that they'd discussed that day to create a shield. It would protect him from physical blows, as well as provide a Concealing Charm so that he would not be seen. While the other students raged, he just sat in a corner during the whole thing. When it was time to head to Charms, then, he was the only one who exited the room still looking presentable. The same could not be said about the other Slytherins and Ravenclaws, who had spots of something all over their clothing and hair that would have been comparable to a Professor Trelawney's. It was comical, seeing them step out of the room and see themselves clearly again now that their view was not blocked by the dust and other partials that had flown into the air during the fury of destruction.

The rest of the day was uneventful, to say the least. After being taught in the summer by his sisters' tutors, he has surpassed the curriculum expectation and was halfway through what the seventh-years were learning in every class but Divination and Potions. Divination was just a waste of time, and there was no point in Potions, seeing as he was already halfway through [a mastery] with a goal of becoming the youngest Potions Master in history.

On days like this, he questioned why he was still at this school. The things that they learned were almost always tampered with, the teachers and Headmaster encouraged fighting and hatred between the different houses, and besides, they only cared about the Gryffindors. They didn't even try to hide it – a werewolf had attacked him because of another student, as part of a 'harmless prank' as the headmaster had called it, and Severus was the one being threatened with expulsion. It just wasn't fair.

Now, with his mother's passing over the summer and his father kicking him out, Severus decided that he would take matters into his own hands, for once. He didn't need this school anymore. He had a family with his sister, her parents and the royal family of Canada, since they'd spent almost the whole summer together with their other two children Jasmine and Christopher. All Severus needed was a plan.

After spending the whole day thinking about what to do, he decided on what to do. He would leave for the winter break as usual, but this time he wouldn't be coming back. After two weeks, if no one reported him missing, then he would notify Nick and Claire about this oversight and watch the teachers squirm.

And, as luck would have it, he received a second letter at dinnertime, this one even more elegant than the last.

_Hey Sev,  
It's only been two weeks but I already miss you so much. You really should come to school with us here at Great Lakes Academy for Young Witches and Wizards. I'm taking warding spell creation and music this year. Chris says hi as well by the way. He is rooming in Lake Superior, which, lucky for him, is on the other side of the campus from Lake Ontario – that's where I'm staying._

Severus remembered what she had told him about her school. Instead of houses, they just had five dorm groups that would live together for the first five years. After that, they could chose to move to a new dorm, though most stayed where they were. They ate together, though, at smaller round tables, after the first night. Classes were randomly chosen with members coming together from each dorm, depending on abilities and course selections. At Great Lakes, after the OWLs, no course was mandatory. It sounded like a fantastic school; perhaps Severus could join in January.

After this revelation, Severus decided to get back to the letter.

_I don't know if I can wait until winter break to see you. When is your next Hogsmeade weekend? I'll come and meet you. I think my friends are sick of hearing me talk about you. This summer was amazing and I can't wait until I'm in your arms again, and remember that if you don't tell me I have other ways of getting it.  
Love  
Jas  
_  
Severus just had to shake his head at the last part of her letter. They had started to go out at the beginning of summer, and even though he loved her, he didn't think that the relationship would last. She was the oldest child of the King and Queen of Canada, and would take over the crown soon. He knew that they wouldn't be together for too long – he had no doubt that she would find a better man.

Tonight he would have to write back to both girls.

"Oi, Severus! Who's writing to you today?" asked Yaxley.

"Oh, yes, those owls are even more impressive than ours," commented Lucius. "Who is sending you letters, Severus? Is it your girlfriend?"

As Severus put the letter in his robes, ignoring their comments, a photograph fell from his pocket. Lucius dived for it.

"So, is this her? Merlin, how the hell did you get a girl like that?" he exclaimed.

Jasmine was wearing a deep blue dress, with sleeves that flowed out from the elbow over a purple under bodice, with pearls outlining the bust area. She looked absolutely stunning, as the dress brought out the blue in her eyes and perfectly accented her tiny waist and perfect figure. Her light brown hair was styled elegantly but with a simplicity behind it leaving a swooping side bang to where her hair was pulled back into a half ponytail with a black tiara with a pink train behind it. Luckily the picture was just of her, and not the one that they had taken in a group, with the four siblings together.

"Well, I spend most of my summers with a family in France, and they are good friends with her family who's from Canada. After spending some time together, we – er – expressed a mutual affection for one another. Now I would like to have that picture back thank you very much." He then plucked the photo from Lucius's hand and walked off to the dorms.

He sat down at his desk and got out a bag that held his better quills and parchment for when he was writing to his loved ones. This parchment was of much better quality than what he used at school and had his initials engraved at the bottom of the page.

_Jasmine,_he wrote,

_Hi, how are you? You really need to be less dramatic, it's only been two weeks since I saw you and I know that you can last longer than that. Our next Hogsmeade weekend is in two weeks – if you want, I'll meet you in front of Honeydukes and we can go from there, alright? Tell Chris that I say "hi" as well, and you will be happy to know that I am thinking of transferring schools, I'm just not learning anything at all here. Today was just pathetic in class – everything we're learning has been censored, and the Ravenclaws were going mad since Merlin-help-whoever stops them from learning. It's a true disgrace to see what this school has become. I'm thinking of asking Nick and Claire if I can transfer to your school, it just sounds so much better and much freer._

_Be careful of the pictures you send in the future, though. Some of my housemates saw them, that's all, and I don't like the way they were looking at you. Also, could you send a less conspicuous bird next time? I've received letters from both you and Anna today, and people are starting to talk._

_Yours,_

_Severus_

"Ah, one letter down and one to go," Severus thought, as he called an owl to take the first letter off to Canada.

_Annalise,_

_I'm so happy for you. Beauxbatons sounds wonderful, so much better than Hogwarts. I'm thinking of asking Mum and Dad if I can transfer schools, since you can't learn anything factual here because of the Headmaster and government. I was thinking of just leaving the school, actually, with no notice, so that when I don't come to school and they don't care the Headmaster will finally get in trouble. What do you think of that plan?_

_I know that you love your birds, but could you send one that's a bit plainer next time, since it drew a lot of attention? Has Chris written to you yet about his school? I hope that you're having a wonderful time at Beauxbatons, by the way._

_Your brother,_

_Severus._

**AN: Thank you for reading this! Now you see that little button? I dare you to click it please . The picture description comes from the story picture with the two couples in it.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you to my amazing beta****disturbinglyprofound!**

**I own nothing.**

**Did you know that you can get a TV to work by using a hair dryer to push hot air into the vent? Whoever thought of that!**

**Anyway,****on to the story.**

Before they knew it, it was time for the first Hogsmeade weekend. The students were taking leisurely strolls through the town, not really stopping anywhere, just browsing the various shops. Severus had gotten confirmation that Jasmine was going to be there, and because of that, he'd chosen to go this weekend. After fifth year, students were allowed to leave the school and go anywhere they pleased, and he was taking advantage of the new rule.

Severus was standing outside Honeydukes, where he and Jasmine agreed to meet, waiting. He wasn't alone for long – in the distance, he could see Lucius and Yaxley approaching him.

"Hello, Severus," said Lucius curiously. "What are you doing at Honeydukes? I thought you never eat anything sweet." Severus had held a reputation since first year for never eating any dessert at Hogwarts' meals.

"I am waiting for someone, Lucius. Not that it's any of your business," Severus replied in a bored tone.

"Who?" Yaxley asked, sounding very intrigued.

"Well," said a new voice, "I would hope that my boyfriend was waiting for me." All three boys turned to the speaker, and Severus was relieved when he saw Jasmine walking up to them. She hugged Severus and kissed his cheek in greeting. "Hello," she smiled.

He returned the gesture with a small one of his own. "Yes, of course. Lucius, Yaxley this is my girlfriend Jasmine Decorus. Jas, this is Lucius Malfoy and Zedekiah Yaxley – they're in Slytherin with me." After the short introduction, it became apparent that he wanted them to leave. "So what did you want to do today?" he asked Jasmine exclusively.

"Oh, the Malfoys are one of the richest families in Britain, aren't they?" Jasmine asked, trying to be friendly. Severus appreciated it.

Lucius seemed to puff up at that statement before replying in an aristocratic drawl full of pride. "Well, last time I saw, my fortune was worth around five hundred million."

"Oh, that's nice. Tell me, how much do your par..." Jasmine stopped talking when she saw Severus standing behind Lucius, gesturing at her over his shoulder to be quiet.

"That's really nice," she said instead, speaking quickly to cover up her other question. "Let's go get some tea," she continued to her boyfriend, "and then you can give me a tour of Hogsmeade."

"Oh, I should tell my dorm-mate Alice that we are going. She's just in Honeydukes – and she really wants I meet you Sev." Jasmine grinned again. She held up a finger, silently ordering him to wait, and then disappeared into the infamous candy shop.

"So, that's your girlfriend," Lucius said faintly, blinking as if disbelieving. "If you don't mind me asking" – it was obvious that he didn't really care whether Severus minded or not – "how did you manage to get a girl like her?" he asked, to just get it over with.

"Yes, she is, and I still don't know how I deserved to get her," Severus replied. He was smiling to himself, pleased that he finally had something to best Malfoy at. She was a dream and she was all his.

"Good answer, lover boy," said a teasing voice. The person speaking was a girl in navy blue robes with long blonde hair. She was coming out of Honeydukes with Jasmine, so Severus assumed that it was her dorm-mate Alice.

"Now for the important questions," she said, narrowing her eyes at him. "How did you two meet? Are you seeing anyone else? Have you ever been arrested? Do you want her for the money or family ties? What are your plans after you finish school? What do you –?"

"Alice! Don't be like that!" said Jasmine quickly, cutting off her friend. "Sev is not like the guys at our school. He is a complete gentleman, so stop interrogating him."

"Would you like to go to Madam Puddifoot's for a bit?" suggested Severus, looking up at the sky, where dark clouds were approaching. "It looks like it's about to rain, so we may want to get inside."

Jasmine took his arm, and the three went for tea, leaving Lucius and Yaxley staring after them in nothing but shock.

"Wow, who would have guessed that Snape could get a girl like that?" Yaxley said, after they had both snapped out of their stupor, which, had they not received lessons on public appearance as children, would have left their jaws dropping to the floor.

"Yes, who?" Lucius agreed. "Let's go to the Three Broomsticks for lunch." After a shake of the head in collective disbelief, the two traipsed off in the opposite direction.

Jasmine, Alice and Severus sat at a booth in the back corner of the shop with Jasmine cuddling into Severus' side. In front of them was a tiered tray with cucumber and salmon finger sandwiches and small pastries that they nibbled on. Severus served the tea, putting two sugar cubes and a dash of cinnamon in Jasmine's cup and a bit of milk and honey in Alice's, while leaving his own black.

"So the so-called Malfoy fortune is only five hundred million?" said Jasmine. "I have almost a billion in my accounts alone. Is that just the cash?"

"No, that would be if everything was liquidated," Severus answered, chortling quietly. He was jumping for joy on the inside. At least to _some_ people, Lucius didn't have that much money.

"Don't you even know how much money your girlfriend has?" Alice asked, a bit shocked, since she was sure that he was just like some of the stupid guys at their school who had only wanted to be with her for her money. Perhaps Jasmine's assumption of Severus' character was correct after all.

"No, why would I?" Severus furrowed his brow in confusion "It's not exactly the type of thing you ask people unless it's you yourself who wants to brag."

Since he hadn't grown up with much money at all, between his mother being disowned and his father drinking away most of their money, he never had any reason to talk about money. He knew that the only reasons he had new robes and school supplies was because Claire and Nick had paid for it all. Now, even more than before, he was feeling inadequate compared to Jasmine. He just hoped that this relationship would last as long as it could.

"So about you – how did you meet Jasmine?" Alice asked.

Severus adjusted a bit so that Jasmine's head was on his shoulder. "Well," he began, "a few summers ago, I was with Nick and Claire, who were invited by Jasmine's parents to stay with them. They were going over some government things, I think. And when we met again this past summer – they came to France this time – we really hit it off. After that, we started dating." Severus explained. He was a little uncomfortable with sharing intimate details of his personal life, but Alice seemed genuine enough.

"Wait, do you mean Nicolas and Clarisse Delmar?" Alice asked in shock

"Er, yeah. They adopted my sister and kind of claimed me as their own as well," he said self-consciously.

The three of them were having a nice tea with idle chitchat, when Alice was finally convinced that Severus was alright. They'd been there for about half an hour, enjoying the calm environment, when the door banged open and four boys walked in, talking loudly with no respect for anyone else. They were behaving as if they owned the place.

"...And I swooped down and caught the Snitch in a barrel roll," one boy said as two of the others laughed. The third, curiously, only looked embarrassed.

"Well," said the first boy, turning to look at Severus with a smirk. "Look, who it is, **Snivellus,**" James taunted as he approached their table, flanked by Peter and Sirius. Remus annealed off to the counter to have a cup of tea and apologize to Madam Puddifoot.

"You ladies might want to get away from this creep," said James casually to Jasmine and Alice. "He's obviously drugged you so that you would come within ten feet of him," he continued. Sirius and Peter were laughing.

"And you are?" Jasmine asked, annoyed. She was using the lessons she'd been taught in manners to hide the hate she held for this boy who was insulting her boyfriend so.

"James Potter, heir to the Potter fortune, and a Gryffindor," he bragged, with a confident playboy smirk.

"Oh," said Jasmine, pretending to look impressed.

"I'm worth about 450 million," he added.

"And your parents?" she asked.

By this point, the whole tea shop was looking at the scene. Jasmine was still sitting next to Severus holding his wand hand underneath the table in an attempt to prevent him hexing the boy.

"What do you mean?" James asked, confused.

"Well, you said that you had 450 million. I asked how much your parents have and what's the total liquidated?" Jasmine said again, blinking innocently.

With James still in a confused shock, Severus decided to speak up.

"Darling," he said sincerely, "that is the total liquidated. He doesn't have any more." Despite his honest tone of voice, he wore a smirk that said otherwise. Finally, he had the chance to humiliate James Potter in public as the stupid Gryffindor had done to him so many times.

"And what would you know about wealth, Snape?" James asked, sounding stung.

"Don't you know that he lives with two of the wealthiest and influential people in France – and around the world, for that matter?" Alice asked, shocked by the lack of decorum displayed in front of her. She'd thought that _Severus_ was bad. These other boys seemed to be a hundred times worse.

"You might want to leave now, before I have you thrown out," Severus said quietly, still smirking.

"Whatever," James spat. "Let's just go." He, being a Gryffindor, was terrible at hiding his emotions, and as he left the shop with this group, his face spelled out humiliation.

"I'm sorry about that," Severus apologized. "There are many people here don't have the best manners," he explained after the group had left, and everyone returned to what they were doing.

After they finished their tea in peaceful silence, Severus showed the girls around Hogsmeade, before it was time for all three of them to go back to their respective schools.

"I'll see you at Christmas, alright? I love you," Severus said to Jasmine, smiling.

"It was nice to meet you, Severus," Alice said, shaking his hand. "I suppose you aren't that bad, especially compared to the other British boys I've seen here."

"Thank you Alice, it was nice to meet you, as well," Severus told her sincerely.

Both girls held on to a bracelet as they took a Portkey back to school, leaving Severus to make his way back to Hogwarts alone. He was hoping to get back before the gates closed, leaving him enough time to get changed before dinner. After having such a wonderful day with his girlfriend and _humiliating_ Potter, he couldn't have asked for a better weekend.

**I'm sorry this took so long to get out school started again – grade 12! And the summer was way busier that I thought it would be. Thank you for reading this, I've actually decided on chaps for when and approximately how my stories are going to end! Yay! Now I just need to fill in the gaps. Any this week I've been on a roll my muses are just popping up everywhere I guess they got back from summer vacation too!**

**Thank you for reading this, and if you feel so inclined, please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Four Questions – Chapter 5** **A/N: Thank you to my beta disturbinglyprofound.** The weather was getting colder as fall moved into winter.  
Severus was sitting on a rock by the lake, reading an advanced world politics book that he had borrowed from the library in Nick and Claire's palace. He had a book bag with an Expansion Charm on it, giving off a very similar effect to something in a movie he'd seen over the summer with Anna and Jasmine. The two girls had decided that they wanted to watch a British movie and they had found a copy of _Mary Poppins._ Severus had found out that it was the wards around Hogwarts that disabled Muggle electronics, not magic itself, as the great Albus Dumbledore would have liked everyone to believe. Each time Severus read these foreign books he was still shocked over how misinformed the magical population of Britain was. It was one if the things that he hoped to convince his sister or Jasmine of changing when they gained political power in the world.

As Severus was reading, a black hawk with a letter attached to its leg landed next to him.  
"Hello, Croquet. What does Nick want to tell me now?" Severus asked the hawk, before taking the letter and opening it.

'Dear Severus,' it read, 'I must again deny your request to change schools. I know that you detest it there, but in life, you must learn that there are just some things that we must put up with.' Severus stopped actually reading the letter at that point and just skimmed through the rest. 'Be diplomatic'... 'They're our contact in Britain.'... 'See you at the winter break, love Nick and Claire.'

"Why won't they ever listen, Croquet?" Severus asked the bird pointlessly.

Luckily for him, he no longer gained attention from odd birds delivering him mail, since they stopped giving it to him at meal times. Even when he got the occasional one, it was acceptable, because it was the time of year when the Heads of houses of many older families sent out marriage contacts to find a spouse for the young adult.

It used to be that just boys would get contracts but now with some of the most prominent families having heiresses who would inherit the titles, it was common practices for sons who were not firstborn to send out contracts. Even some heirs of lesser families who wanted to climb up the ladder sent them out.

He knew that Jasmine had received quite a few over the past little while and she had complained about everyone. It made for very interesting letters especially when there were pictures involved. He wished that he could send her a contract, but he had nothing to offer. He mostly lived off of Nick and Claire's money and his mothers' pure-blood family. The Princes had cut her off before Severus was born. He knew that their relationship wouldn't last but he was still sad to see it come to an end.

He looked at his watch and saw that lunch had started fifteen minutes ago, so he packed up his books and letter in the expanding bag before shrinking it and putting it in his pocket.  
"If you want to wait for an hour, I'll send a letter back, alright?" Severus told the hawk, who nodded its head and flew off into the forest.

Severus was halfway through his pulled pork sandwich when a large peacock came in with the owls delivering mail and landed in front of him. Severus was used to these magnificent birds giving him letters so he thought nothing of it. But when he looked at the letter, he realized that it had the seal of Jasmine's parents on it, and that it was addressed with his full name including his not well-known official name after Nick and Claire adopted him.

He opened the envelope and took out the fine parchment inside.  
'To Lord Severus Augustus Francois Delmar Snape, adopted son of Clarisse and Nicolas Delmar.

'On this day I would like to formally propose a marriage contract between yourself and my daughter Jasmine Catherine Sophia Decorus, the heiress to our family and the next Queen of magical Canada. If you would look over this contract and see if there is anything that you wish to add just notify us and we shall negotiate. Thank you for your consideration,  
'His majesty Richard Romuns Decorus, King of magical Canada.'

Severus stared at the letter in shock he couldn't believe that he had been sent a contact from one if the most eligible witches in the world.

"What's with the letter, Snape?" Lucius asked, seeing his Slytherin brother staring at a page for much longer than what was considered normal.

Severus composed himself. "It's a marriage contract."  
Now it was Lucius's turn to be shocked. "Who sent you a marriage contract?"  
"Jasmine's father," Severus replied, before getting up and walking out of the hall taking the half-sandwich with him out to his favorite sitting place by the lake.

He took out one of his good quills and was about to dip it in ink when an owl came and ran into his chest. Severus caught the bird in his hands, and then it showed him the letter attached to its body.  
"You were in a hurry," commented Severus. "Is this for me?" He untied the letter and opened it.

'Severus! Please, please, please accept my father's offer please! Love, Jasmine.'

'Well that's interesting,' Severus thought. Instead of Jasmine's usually perfect penmanship, the message was quickly scribbled down.

As Severus put Jasmine's letter down, he came up with the perfect idea. He got out a piece if parchment and started a counter-offer to Richard's.

Two days later Severus got a letter back from Richard, with another contract that had Severus's amendment included. Severus looked through the contract and saw that it met with his approval, so he took out a good quill and his nicest ink from his bag, signing the contract that would determine the rest of his and Jasmine's life.  
A week after Severus had sent his reply, Richard showed up in person, during supper, to finalize the contract.

He walked right into the Great Hall and over to Severus, not pausing for a moment to look around at his surroundings, as most visitors did. His eyes were kept straight ahead.

"Severus," the man said in a deep, commanding voice.  
"Sir." Severus replied evenly getting up and shaking the King's hand, with a small bow added in.

"Shall we get on with it?"  
"Of course, there is an antechamber just over here," Severus said, leading Richard to a door at the side of the room, close to the head table.

"Where do you think you are going?" Albus demanded as the two walked out of the hall and closed the door. He marched after Severus and the King, intending to stop them, but when he tried to open the door they left through, he found it warded with powerful spells so strong that even he couldn't break through to unlock it. Albus then decided to wait until the mysterious man and that sixth year Slytherin that had gone with him returned.  
In the room, Richard laid the contract on the desk and got out a blood quill that, unlike the ones that Dolores Umbridge was known for, wrote with the person's blood _without _leaving a scar.

"There you go, Severus," Richard said, handing Severus the quill.

"Thank you, Richard." Severus said, before leaning over the desk to sign the contract before handing the quill back to Richard. He was to sign the contract as witness to Severus and on Jasmine's behalf, as the head of her family. With both signatures, the contract split into seven copies for the governments and families, as well as Severus and Jasmine themselves. All of the copies except one popped away to safes and filing cabinets around the world.

"Come, Severus, it's time for you to transfer as we agreed. Are you packed?" Richard asked as he started to disassemble the wards.

"Yes, sir, I am ready." Severus told his future father-in-law.  
"Good. I will have a house-elf get it," said Richard, and his expression turned stern. "And how many times do I need to tell you – it's Richard."  
Most of the hall was still staring at the door and whispering about it when the men re-emerged from the room.

"I demand to know what's going on!" Albus Dumbledore said forcefully.  
"Severus just accepted a marriage contract with my daughter," Richard said in a cold voice. He had never liked Albus, for he knew that the older man had an enormous ego that, in his opinion, was completely unearned. For example, it was not well known that the whole Grindelwald problem had started because Albus cheated on him. Albus just managed to sweet-talk the public into liking him while all of the governments' politicians hated him for causing the debt that they now owed Canada and France.

"Why wasn't I informed of this?" Albus asked in shock. He always knew about wedding contracts going around and he was sure that Severus hasn't received any – who would want to, anyway? He was nobody in terms of his social status because he was a half-blood, born to a Muggle father.  
"It's none of your business, Headmaster," Severus said firmly, "as I am transferring schools. This is my formal resignation from your institution. Good day." He handed Albus his accepted transfer request.

The Hall looked on in shock as the stranger and the only person who had ever quit the school walked to the doors and Apparated out of Hogwarts for good. Severus had absolutely no trouble with transferring into Great Lakes Academy, and since he was Jasmine's fiancé, he asked to stay in the Lake Ontario residence with her. He was able to take the courses that he wanted to after taking an entrance exam that he passed only because of his private tutoring over the breaks and reading. If he only knew what they taught at Hogwarts, he would have never passed to enter sixth year.

Severus decided to take Potions, of course – it was his passion – politics, arithmetic, Warding, Advanced Magic, which included some Transfiguration and Charms with some spell creation thrown in, Magical World History, and an experimental Potions period since he was so advanced even at this school.

Severus was very excited to start, but it was decided since he was transferring halfway through the year that he would join classes when they came back in January.

"Why must I wait until January to join, Headmistress?" Severus asked. He knew that he was a bit behind, but he didn't want to wait over a month to start.

"There is a lot of reading involved in catching up to where the students are now," said Margaret Wilson, the head of the school. "You will have the time to read through it and work on the practical assignments. That should take two or three weeks and that would only give you less than a week before winter break so it makes more sense to just start afterwards, Severus."  
"Besides," Robert suggested, "you can surprise Jasmine with the news at Christmas when we all come to France."

"Alright, that's fine." Severus agreed. He packed up all of his books and assignments into his new bag and went to stay with Nick and Claire for the rest of the year. The last month had passed by quickly for Severus, after explaining to Nick and Claire why he was showing up a month early. - Severus knocked on the door and to his surprise it was Claire who answered.  
"What are you doing here Severus?" she asked, shocked and confused at seeing him at the door.

"I transferred schools," Severus explained, "and I only start in January because I need to catch up."  
"Alright," Claire said uncertainly, "let's go tell Nick." She walked with Severus to her husband's office and knocked on the door briefly before going in.

"I wondered when you would come here, Severus. I read the contract – very smart and sneaky," Nick said, looking up from the papers on his desk.  
"What contract? What are you talking about?" asked a very confused Claire. "Jasmine and I have a marriage contract," said Severus, unable to suppress the smile that came to his lips once he thought of it.  
"What! Why did no one tell me that my baby was getting married?!" Claire demanded. That's it – you are sleeping on the couch for the rest of the week, Nick! How could you have kept that from me?"  
"Darling, please," pleaded Nick, "I was going to tell you, but I figure that I'd let Severus tell you – he used the contract to switch schools." He was trying desperately to save himself from his wife's wrath.  
"Nice try, husband," snapped Claire, "but you are still sleeping on that couch. How did you manage to switch schools, Sev? I thought that Nick said no?"

"I made it my stipulation to agreeing with the contract that I was to switch to Jasmine's school," Severus said quickly. "What can I say – I've learnt from the best. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have about two tons of reading and work to catch up on, and I only have a month to do it. I will be in the library." He left the room before any real arguing could happen. It was Christmas Eve and Jasmine's family was coming over to spend the night.

"Have you seen my blue dress?" Anna asked, as she passed her brother in the hall.  
"No have you tried Summoning it?" Severus asked. He was excited to see Jasmine – not that he would tell anyone that he had found the perfect engagement ring for her. After going through the Prince collection of rings, he had chosen one that had been used back in the eighteenth century. It had beautiful diamonds and amethysts on it, and since Jasmine loved purple, Severus thought it was the perfect choice.

Anna was so excited when she heard the news that she knocked Severus to the ground with the huge hug that she gave him.  
"I'm so happy for the two of you," she fussed, and then went on and on about weddings and things that Severus knew nothing about, until Claire managed to distract her.

Just then, the fire turned green and out walked Richard, followed by Chris, then Jasmine and her mother Sophia.

"Merry Christmas, friends, or should I say family," Nick greeted the others.  
"Sev, I'm so glad to see you! I can't believe that we are getting married, it's all so wonderful," Jasmine said giving him a hug.

"Shall we go and have a cup of tea before we commence?" Claire asked.  
"Of course, it's tradition." Sophia replied, as they walked off to start the night of annual traditions.

They did a Muggle puzzle and read the Polar Express and Auntie Claus while looking at the tree that they had cut down and decorated that night, the way they did every year. Just before everyone went to bed, Severus took Jasmine outside on the balcony that over looked the snow covers hills in the distance and the full moon reflecting on the snow.  
"Jasmine, I know that we are already engaged, but I want I present you with this ring. It belonged to one of my great-grandmothers. I hope that you like it," Severus said hopefully, getting down on his knee and opening the box.

"Oh Sev, it's perfect!" Jasmine exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him.  
The next morning, all in the house woke up to the smell of pancakes and bacon. They all went down to the tree in their robes and pajamas. It was a very rare sight to see some of the present and future leaders of countries sitting down to coffee with barely brushed hair and sleep still in their eyes. Nonetheless, everyone sat down to open the presents that the house-elves had put under the tree during the night.  
Severus was thrilled to receive some rare ingredients and Potions supplies. Jasmine absolutely adored the pet kitten from Severus. So, when he handed her a rolled-up piece of parchment, she had no clue as to what it could be.  
"Just read it," Severus told her, with a smile on his face.  
"Okay... Wait this is a timetable for Great Lakes Academy. You transferred schools!" Jasmine exclaimed, after reading what was on the page.

The rest of the day was filled with fun and games as they played Christmas trivia and cards before having sandwiches and cold salads for lunch and a beautifully roasted turkey dinner. It was always one of Severus's favorite days of the year since it was a day he could spend with both his old and new family. It was only a bonus that he also had two days off of his schoolwork. AN: I wanted to get this out at midnight but that just couldn't happen merry Christmas everyone and have a good holiday season. For once in a few years its actually snowing on Christmas (a few flakes at like 12:10 am) but it counts snow for Christmas !thank you for all of the hits and remember I always like to hear what you think so review. 


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